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With: Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, Justin Chon, Sarah Wright, Jonathan Keltz, François Chau, Russell Hodgkinson, Daniel Booko, Russell Mercado, Josie Loren, Christiann Castellanos, Dustin Ybarra, Samantha Futerman
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Written by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
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Directed by: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
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MPAA Rating: R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity, drugs and drinking
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Running Time: 93
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Date: 19/03/2013
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A Little Late to the Party
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
If 21 and Over were a guest, it would be a little late to the party, re-telling some of the same jokes everyone else had already heard earlier.
The all-night party movie is a winning formula in American movies, combining rites of passage with complete physical abandon. The co-writers of one, The Hangover, came up with 21 and Over, about two misfits who take their buddy Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) out drinking on his 21st birthday, knowing that he must be up by 7 a.m. for an important job interview.
One misfit, Miller (Miles Teller), is fast-talking and carefree, though this belies a deep inadequacy. The other misfit, Casey (Skylar Astin), is nerdy and on the fast track to a corporate job, but has no feel for life or love. Jeff Chang -- always referred to by surname and given name together -- gets drunk throws up, urinates, passes out, is thrown off of a building, and wears funny things. The friends learn to loosen up, love life, and strengthen their bonds. They also play beer pong.
Yes. You've seen it all before, and done better, ranging from last year's Project X to the Harold and Kumar movies, Superbad, and many others. But the dialogue alone -- silly, punchy, self-aware riffs, decorated with hundreds of uses of "dude" -- keeps it going. A male cheerleader as a villainous bully, for example, isn't too funny, but one of his lackeys yelling, "Crush his spirit, Randy!!!" is pretty funny.
A looser, loonier 21 and Over might have been the life of the party, but at least it showed up.
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